The Opposite of Brotherly Love
by Lyra Dogstar
Summary: Sesshomaru and InuYasha have a curse placed on them, so that they both have to stay together and alive, or both will face their worst fears then die. They also learn some stuff about each other! My first InuYasha fic, so PLEASE be nice in your reveiws.
1. Joining the group

Author's notes: Okay, this is my first InuYasha fic, so I beg you to be nice to me.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything Inuyasha.  
  
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Sesshomaru stood atop one of the tree branches, looking down at the sorry sight. His own brother sitting by a fire with two human girls, a monk, and a weak fox child. It discrace enough to have to ask InuYasha to travel with him, let alone being seen with three humans.  
  
He landed softly behind one of the girls and looked straight into the face of InuYasha. The half-breed jumped to his feet and instantly drew the Tetsusaiga, the monk holding his staff up, while the younger of the two girls ran behind them.  
  
"Hey Sesshomaru," said the girl, now brave once behind the half-breed's back, "where's that imp of yours."  
  
Sesshomaru didn't know where Jaken was. The creature had not been able to catch up with Sesshomaru, and Sesshomaru really didn't have need for the beast anymore. He was horribly clumsy and obnoxious anyway, and the humans were going to be bad enough without any more annoyances.  
  
"Put down your weapon you stupid little. half-breed. I have no reason to kill you at the moment," he snapped.  
  
"What do you want, then?" InuYasha snapped, not yet putting away the Tetsusaiga.  
  
"Meerly to travel with my dear brother and your . . . . . . group," Sesshomaru ended, resisting the urge to make a snide comment.  
  
"Why do you want to? What's in it for you?" the older girl said suspiciously, "Don't try to tell me you suddenly just got the urge for the joys of family bonding."  
  
"I'm repulsed that you have so little faith in me," Sesshomaru said, knowing that he didn't sound like it at all.  
  
"Yeah right," muttered InuYasha.  
  
"I have my reasons. One which I will later tell InuYasha in private." Actually, he didn't intend to. His pride held him back from it.  
  
Finally, InuYasha sheathed his sword and sat down.  
  
"Are you not going to introduce me to your companions? Or will I continue to call them girl, monk, fox, and wench?" Sesshomaru said. This time he really was repulsed at the few manners that one of his own kin had.  
  
"That's Miroku--" He pointed at the monk, "Shippo, Sango--" The older girl "and Kagome. And you know Myoga."  
  
That's when he noticed something in InuYasha's hair. At first he thought that maybe his brother really WAS flea-bitten, but then realised that the flea was nothing but the old Myoga that his father always had with him. Slowly, Sesshomaru sat down cross-legged.  
  
This was going to be a strange trip.  
  
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Author's notes: What do you think? Kind of a strange idea I had. Please be nice to me and review. 


	2. Tension While Eating Witches

For the first hour, the tension was almost unbearable. InuYasha kept his hand on the sword at all times, and hardly let his eyes off his older brother. In return, the Sesshomaru eyed the monk--Miroku, and most of all, his brother. At first, he didn't realise that Kagome was even talking to him.  
  
"Sesshomaru? I asked if you wanted something to eat."  
  
"Yes, please. I am afraid I haven't eaten in three days," he said, not taking his eyes off InuYasha.  
  
She handed him some kind of strange food, some brown goo and purple goo stuck between two peices of bread. Sesshomaru took a wary bite.  
  
Kagome almost laughed out loud at the look on Sesshomaru's face, as the demon struggled to get the peanut-butter from sticking to in the back of his mouth.  
  
"What IS this bizzare food?" he asked.  
  
"It's a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich," she answered, giggling alittle.  
  
"A SANDWITCH? You people eat witches?" he asked, his eyes wide, and a sneer on his face.  
  
Kagome couldn't control it anymore. She broke out in a fit of giggles at the thought of eating a witch combined with the look on Sesshomaru's face. "No silly," she said, finally controlling her laughter, "that's just what the dish is called. It's a different kind of 'wich'. It's just bread and peanuts and fruit."  
  
"It's too strange."  
  
"Fine, I'll eat it. No use in wasting perfectly good food," Kagome said.  
  
Sesshomaru looked at some of the other foods she had with her. He picked up a bag of some sort of flat, greasy, brittle bread peices. He took one of them out and put it into his mouth. It was dry and salty, apparently another of her foreign foods. He put it back on the ground. He would go without eating if it meant that he would otherwise have to eat such bizzare things.  
  
"Erm . . . . maybe you'd be more favorable to something familiar," Kagome said, looking at him funny. He shifted uncomfortably under the suspicious stares of the others.  
  
"Like what?" he asked. She held up a bowl of noodles.  
  
"InuYasha likes this, so why don't you try it."  
  
"Like InuYasha has any taste whatsoever," Sesshomaru said coldly, but accepted the noodles.  
  
It was still rather strange to eat, and salty, but it was better than nothing. He ate it, still learing at his half-brother.  
  
Eventually, the others drifted off the sleep. All except InuYasha, who continued to be ready to strike if the need came.  
  
"My my, InuYasha. What little taste in jewelry you have," Sesshomaru said, smirking at the ugly necklace that hung around InuYasha's neck.  
  
"So? What do you want?" InuYasha said coldly, paying no heed to what Sesshomaru just said.  
  
"Here's the situation, little InuYasha: I have to stay with you, and we have to both stay alive. Or else expect the worst."  
  
"Feh. Like what? I'm not afraid of death."  
  
"You face your greatest fear, *then* you face a horrible gory death."  
  
For a fleeting moment, InuYasha thought of loosing Kagome to some other guy, but instantly pushed it back, mentally slapping himself and telling himself it wasn't his worst fear.  
  
Sesshomaru tried to sleep after that, but it greatly unnerving to have somebody staring at you. Especially a half-breed that couldn't hold his temper, held the Tetsusaiga, and wanted nothing more than to slash you into tiny peices. But he knew that now he knew their fate, even InuYasha wouldn't be so stupid as to test the curse.  
  
Grumbling, Sesshomaru got up and sprang into a tree. and lay down to rest there. Unlike his overbearing brother, he knew the need of sleep one needed. No need to worry about danger sneaking into their midst. Sesshomaru would hear them instantly, even in his sleep, and was powerful enough to take on any demon. He'd overpowered every demon in Japan, right?  
  
Wrong.  
  
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You can only tell that I got good reveiws by the fact that I am continuing. In return, please continue giving me reveiws. 


	3. First let's walk, then we'll SIT!, then ...

Author's notes: WOW!! Let's have some more bitter Sesshomaru fun!!  
  
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Sesshomaru woke at the crack of dawn. At first he thought he was the first one up, but then he saw InuYasha in the exact same position as last night. Foolish pup, not getting the rest he needed. He landed lightly off to the side of the group and leaned against the tree.  
  
Kagome was the next to wake up. "Good morning InuYasha, Sesshomaru," she said, too cheery for Sesshomaru's taste. Shippo, missing the warmth he had from Kagome, woke up next, and then Sango, who had been sleeping next to Shippo.  
  
"Who says we should wake up that perverted monk?" InuYasha asked. Miroku was sleeping rather peicefully.  
  
"What's your hurry?" Sesshomaru asked.  
  
"We happen to be on a *quest*. I refuse to let an oversleeper slow us down," InuYasha said, haughtily.  
  
Sesshomaru had to admit he was curious, but didn't inquire; he refused to show any interest in what his disgraceful brother was interested in. He watched as InuYasha went over to the monk and gave him a good kick in the side. Miroku's eyes flew open.  
  
"I *was* hoping that it would be a lovely young woman by my side to greet me when I woke up," he said sourly.  
  
"If you intend on travelling, I suggest we start soon," Sesshomaru said idly, examining his claws. He had no reason at the moment to want to go anywhere, but apparently the rest did.  
  
And so they walked. Kagome had some sort of strange contraption she rode on, with Shippo in a basket on the front. Every once and a while, InuYasha would jump on the back on the contraption and stand there while she did all the work, but otherwise, they just walked. There was no conversation, nothing.  
  
It was almost dusk when they reached a small village. InuYasha seemed grumpier than Sesshomaru usually saw him, and he wondered why.  
  
"Old man!" Sesshomaru called. At first the others weren't sure who Sesshomaru was talking to, but when Myoga jumped on the demon's shoulder, they turned and continued toward the village.  
  
"Tell me, what could possibly make InuYasha more grumpy tonight than when he sees me?" Sesshomaru asked, following alittle behind the group.  
  
"It's the night of no moon. Tis the night Lord InuYasha turns to a full human."  
  
Apparently InuYasha heard, because a low growl came from the head of the group. "We're not staying here tonight," InuYasha said, taking them all by surprise.  
  
"Yes we are. I don't know about you, but I need a bath," Kagome said, as they began to cross the low bridge.  
  
"No-- we--are--not," InuYasha said stubbornly, grabbing Kagome's arm. Kagome yanked free. The others were already across the bridge, and Sesshomaru was just stepping on, when Kagome grabbed Sesshomaru's hand and yanked him back onto shore. Sesshomaru was surprised at first, and intended to yank free of her and cross the bridge.  
  
"SIT BOY!!" she yelled, and the bridge broke as InuYasha was slammed down on it.  
  
Sesshomaru smirked, and was glad that he hadn't continued crossing. He grabbed Kagome around the waist and lept over the water, sparing her the horrible wetness. It was the least he could do after her embarassing InuYasha.  
  
"Get your hands off her!" InuYasha cried, and they turned around to see him just crawling out of the water.  
  
"I assure you, little brother, I have no desire whatsoever for the company of a human girl," Sesshomaru sneered, snapping his arm away from Kagome's waist. "I was meerly hoping that if I aided her, I might get the pleasure of seeing you embaressed once again."  
  
"You watch out, Sesshomaru, or I'll put prayer beads around *your* neck too," Kagome said haughtily.  
  
"And you think I wouldn't take them off? Unlike my brother, I find no pleasure in being controlled."  
  
"Oh yeah?" InuYasha asked, his face livid, "Why don't *you* try to take these off me?"  
  
Sesshomaru walked over to InuYasha and pulled him up. Purely for the sake off showing off, he grabbed the beads and pulled. It glowed purple, but didn't come off. Sesshomaru tugged and pulled.  
  
"You see? Only *I* can take them off," Kagome said, before heading off to the village.  
  
But half an hour later, they found themselves in a nice inn with a large meal and nice warm beds. Sesshomaru didn't like being obliged to humans, but the fact that they gave him some decent food was nice. True, the rice cakes were a bit gooey and the noodles salty, and the tea weak, but otherwise, it was not that bad. He didn't voice his criticisms about the food, at least he had manners, unlike a certain half-breed he knew.  
  
"INUYASHA!" he called out the door, just as the sun was setting.  
  
The half demon came in grumpily, knowing that it was no use to hide since they all knew what was going to happen. Only he wasn't a half demon. Sesshomaru felt that his chin had dropped to the ground. He knew what was going to happen, and even had a faint idea what he would look like. But he never thought that he would look so . . . . so *alien*.  
  
He looked between his younger human brother and the girl Kagome and bit his bottom lip. This was no time to laugh, he knew. But the thing was that he looked so similar to the girl it *wasn't* funny. Okay, so maybe it was.  
  
InuYasha caught his brother's look and scowled. "What are *you* laughing at?"  
  
"I'm not laughing."  
  
"Yes you are!"  
  
"No, I am not!"  
  
Kagome sighed. They were fighting worse than she and InuYasha did.  
  
"I can't help it! I know I transform more often than most do!"  
  
"I have seen worse," Sesshomaru said. "There's one a met that transformed whenever there was a half moon. And one whenever it rained."  
  
"Why do you care so much about comforting me about my changes?" InuYasha was suddenly suspicious.  
  
"It was meerly in my defense," Sesshomaru replied. "Besides, now that you are rendered helpless, I will have to take the Tetsusaiga to protect all of you."  
  
"You will NOT!" InuYasha, though a fool, wasn't *that* much of a fool.  
  
"You're just trying to get it for Naraku!" Shippo accused.  
  
"Don't be silly. Do you honestly think I would give up my own father's sword? Besides, he wouldn't be able to use it," Sesshomaru said, in his opinion stating the obvious.  
  
"Yeah, well. It's mine," InuYasha said, plopping down and practically cuddling it.  
  
"Hm. I see you treasure that sword much more than you do your lover," Sesshomaru observed.  
  
"My. . . . . .*lover*?'  
  
"Yes, I *assumed* that you and Kagome were lovers, since you seemed so protective of her earlier," Sesshomaru said, sipping his tea.  
  
"WHAT?!?! I am NOT in love with that weak, pathetic, silly human," InuYasha said jumping up, a look of disgust on his face.  
  
"Oh, now I am weak, and pathetic, and silly," Kagome said indignantly.  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"SIT!!!!!!!!" Smash. "And to think that a moment ago I actually thought you cared about me," she said, sounding not so hurt as Sesshomaru expected.  
  
"Feh. Well, you have something loose in that head of yours," InuYasha said, standing up.  
  
Sesshomaru smirked.  
  
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I will continue, for the price of more reviews. 


	4. Another new companion InuYasha: GRR...

Author's notes: A great pass time when you are at home alone and have nothing to do: write the next five chapters to your fiction. That's what I seem to be doing.  
  
If you can come up with a name for the furry boa thing Sesshomaru wears, I will be very grateful.  
  
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Kagome woke up the next morning and looked around at everybody. Shippo, who was cuddling between herself and Sango, Miroku who was sitting next the sleeping InuYasha, who had transformed back to his normal state. Except, something wasn't right...SESSHOMARU!!  
  
She looked around the room again, and realized that not only was he gone, but so was the Tetsusaiga. She didn't wake up InuYasha and the others, but left to go look for the demon herself. He would pay for this one. What was really getting her was how he could even touch the Tetsusaiga.  
  
"Lord Sesshomaru can touch the Tetsusaiga," said a voice by her ear, "Is because of his sudden need to protect Lord InuYasha. That's my guess anyway." Kagome looked to the side only to see Myoga. "Saying that, I will be on my way."  
  
She continued to walk. Then she saw him. He wasn't far indeed from the village, standing on the bank of a hot spring. Only, he wasn't dressed all the way...at least not for travel. He wore only a plain kimono; he was soaking wet, wore no armor, no shoes, no sash, he didn't have his own blade, none of his eye make-up, and (to her surprise) his stole was gone. He didn't seem so fearsome anymore, without his armor and weaponry.  
  
She watched him draw the blade and hold it out in front of his face. He tried some moves that she had only ever seen on TV, that InuYasha didn't know. And she had to admit, he was graceful. Alone one of those movements might be laughed at, but when put together, she saw that Sesshomaru must be a skilled fighter indeed.  
  
She quietly returned to the tavern, InuYasha was awake, along with everybody else. He was growling, cursing himself for being so stupid as to fall for Sesshomaru's trick. She then saw a bundle that hadn't been there before. Opening it, she found all of Sesshomaru's things.  
  
"He's not left, InuYasha," she said.  
  
"What d'you mean? Of course he has, and he tricked me to get the Tetsusaiga," InuYasha said, snarling.  
  
"Would he leave this behind?" she asked, holding up the white stole. It was softer than it looked, and she got the urge to steal it from Sesshomaru.  
  
The others were confused about this.  
  
"Kagome...put it back," InuYasha said somewhat desperately. Then, "PUT IT BACK!! If he catches you with that, he'll personally skin you. He's coming now, I can smell him."  
  
Kagome, who had tried it on only to find that it dragged on the ground, put it back in the bundle and tied it up. She was only just in time. The door opened, and Sesshomaru entered with the Tetsusaiga.  
  
It was practically thrust into InuYasha's hand before Sesshomaru bent down to retrieve his things.  
  
It was interesting watching him get dressed. First he put on his outer kimono, then the armor, which turned out to be two pieces: the main armor and the spikes. Then his sword attached to a belt that went over the armor, and his sash tied over the belt to hide the ugly article. Next he put on his shoes, then his eye make-up. Last did the stole, which he handled with much more loving care than InuYasha did with Tetsusaiga.  
  
At last they were ready to leave.  
  
It was around noon that a complaint came out of InuYasha. "I'm hungry."  
  
"You're always hungry," Kagome said, "stop being such a whiner."  
  
"Excuse me, but I am NOT a whiner!"  
  
"Yes you are!"  
  
"Perhaps I can help you..." a voice purred from a nearby bush. Out walked a demon. A cat demon, to be specific. She had black ears and a tail, and her hair was tied back loosely. It was her clothes that got them though---  
  
"You're dressed a bit after your time, aren't you? And, in European clothes," Kagome said.  
  
Indeed she was. She wore cream coloured pants, and thigh-high boots. She had a white cotton shirt on with the sleaves rolled up and a black silk vest with silver buttons.  
  
"The barbarians," Sango muttered.  
  
"Yes, I must admit that some of us are. And yes, I am dressed after this time, but I don't know how I got here and refuse to dress in *their* clothes. Besides, at least I'm not dressed like...that," she said, raising an eyebrow at Kagome's short skirt that went with her school uniform. "By the way, I'm Marine. You may call me Captain or Ma'am."  
  
"First of all, this is not your ship," InuYasha said indignantly. "And second, no one ever said that you could join us. And I don't take orders from people."  
  
"You may join us," Sesshomaru said. "I need some people of intelligence in this useless crowd. You may call me, My Lord. Or simply Lord Sesshomaru, if it suits you better, Captain."  
  
"Hey! Who said you could invite anybody? You aren't leader," InuYasha snapped, his eyes bugging out.  
  
"If you look at it that way, then," Sesshomaru looked past his brother at Kagome, "would you mind another joining our group."  
  
"Go ahead and invite her."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Marine looked between InuYasha and Sesshomaru. "Brothers?" she asked. "You two look like it."  
  
"How am I like him?!" they exclaimed in unison, pointing at each other.  
  
"Well, you both have white hair, both have amber eyes. You both have this prideful air about you," she said rather brightly, circling the two. "Now, shall we continue. And you should introduce yourselves."  
  
"I'm Miroku, a simple monk. That it Lady Kagome, whom Sesshomaru has just as good as deemed the leader of us."  
  
"I am Myoga----the divine grace----the flea. I am on the shoulder of Lord InuYasha, and over there next to Lady Kagome is Lady Sango. She's a demon exterminator."  
  
"Great," InuYasha growled, "another companion."  
  
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Sort of an strange chapter for me. Interesting, yes, but strange. 


	5. Death to the green, booger shaped, frogg...

Author's notes: I am trying to keep this story updated along with three others; I suppose I will break a record if I do.  
  
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"What if I were to tell you that I knew exactly who was cursing you?" Marine said, taking another bite of the sand witch she had in her hand.  
  
"I would be amazed and very grateful," Sesshomaru said, looking again at the curious foods.  
  
They were sitting off to the side of the road, Kagome's bag open and food out. Marine was sitting on a rock and Sesshomaru knelt on the ground. A little ways away, InuYasha was being scolded by Kagome for his eating habits while Miroku, Sango, and Shippo all sweatdropped.  
  
"First tell me this: Was his messanger a big green booger in clothes?"  
  
"A what?"  
  
"He looked like a big green boogery frog thing with big yellow eyes and a stupid hat and clothes. He was dragging a little girl behind him, saying something like 'off to put this stupid creature out of her misery'."  
  
"WHAT?!?!" Sesshomaru lept up, and yelled, "We're leaving. We're changing course. We're travelling my way. Which way was he?" he asked Marine.  
  
"Hmm. Southwest from where you picked me up, about three hours from there," she said, getting up and shoving the rest of the sand witch into her mouth.  
  
Once he made sure they were all packed up, he gave his glowy whip a snap and a cloud swept them up. Kagome fell backward, knocking InuYasha down.  
  
"You might want to stand up," Sesshomaru called back. "We'll be there in about half an hour."  
  
And so they were. It was in record breaking time that they found the green booger shaped froggy thing and the little girl, who turned out to be Jaken and a sobbingly scared Rin. When they got to the ground, InuYasha, Sesshomaru, Marine, Sango, and Miroku were able to hop gracefully to the ground . . . . . until Kagome fell on top of InuYasha, ruining their entrance.  
  
"Jaken," Sesshomaru said, looking down at the impish frog thing.  
  
"Y-y-y-yes, Me Lord." he said in a tiny, quivering voice.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?"  
  
"Doing what you order, M'lord."  
  
"And do those orders include pushing Rin off a cliff?"  
  
"N-n-n-n-n-n-no?"  
  
Sesshomaru grabbed the head-staff from Jaken. "You had one chance to learn that Lord Sesshomaru doesn't like to be disobeyed." With that, he lifted the staff (head down), and swung it at Jaken like a golf club. The frog, toady thing tried to run, but Sesshomaru brought it down quick and hard, sending Jaken flying off into oblivion.  
  
"Come Rin," he said, and the little girl grabbed his hand and allowed herself to be lead off by him.  
  
They continued walking for about five hours, (in which Rin got very tired and Sesshomaru carried her), and yet again they reached a village. They were just about to enter when Kagome was grabbed from behind. They all turned when she screeched, only to sigh in exasperation when they saw who it was.  
  
"Kouga!!" She squealed, pulling herself from his grip while InuYasha ground his teeth.  
  
"I am sorry Kagome, but I was drawn by my love for you. And I just couldn't contain myself when I saw my woman again," he said, kneeling and taking her hands.  
  
"Thanks. I'm. . . . . flattered," she said, sounding just as exasperated as everybody else. "You er. . . . you want to join us."  
  
InuYasha growled. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes, and said, "Come, little halfling. Just grit your teeth and take it like a man."  
  
"SESSHOMARU!" Kouga yelled, just now noticing the demon, and putting up his fists. "You stay away from Kagome, or you'll be pulp. I'm warning you, hurt anybody here and I'll flatten you."  
  
Sesshomaru groaned and rolled his eyes. "What an idiot," he muttered, continuing on toward the village. As usual, Rin wasn't paying attention and had missed the entire exchange. 


	6. An Emabarressing moment for Kagome and I...

This time they didn't have Miroku lie about feeling an ominous cloud. Sesshomaru actually paid for their a large room with a bathing house and a large meal. This seemed strangely nice of him, till they found out that it was more for Rin's sake than anybody elses.  
  
Kagome had been wearing the same clothes for the past two weeks now, and for some reason, Sesshomaru had another nice attack and bought her a nice silk kimono and sandles, claiming he would do anything to escape the smell of human body odor.  
  
Kagome went and sat next to InuYasha in the main room. "I wonder why Sesshomaru's being so nice all of a sudden."  
  
"I don't know," InuYasha said, looking as confused as she felt.  
  
"Well, at least we get some nice food and a hot bath," Shippo said cheerily, looking at the large amount of food that was purchased.  
  
Sesshomaru then entered the room, and sat down. Rin followed him in a clean kimono herself, and sat down on his lap. His nice behavior was starting to get to Kagome. She was about to inquire about it, when he gave a small hiccup.  
  
"He's drunk. I thought something like that might be the cause of all this," she said, and sweatdropped. The night was quiet, even for a small quiet village, and Kagome and the others soon fell asleep, leaving InuYasha awake to ponder over his brother. He highly doubted that Sesshomaru was working purely over the influence of the somewhat strong wine he had purchased. It just wasn't like him.  
  
Kagome stirred next to him, and he felt her grab his arm. She started cuddling it while he sat shocked over it.  
  
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Sesshomaru woke up the next morning to a slight headache and Kagome cuddling InuYasha. He was sitting there, petrified. He watched him give her a small poke and whisper, "Kagome?"  
  
Kouga stirred, and Sesshomaru wasn't in the mood for their fighting over the human girl so early in the morning.  
  
"InuYasha, be quiet. You'll wake up that git over there," he practically breathed. But he knew that his brother, though weak, could hear everything he said.  
  
"I know," InuYasha breathed back, "but I have to wake her up somehow." Kagome nuzzled in closer and put a hand on his chest. "Kagome," he said, a little louder.  
  
"Mmm. InuYASHA," she replied, not waking up.  
  
Sesshomaru twisted Rin slightly in his lap, facing her towards him. This wasn't something the little girl should wake up to.  
  
"Some people can sleep through anything, but still talk back to people in their sleep," Sesshomaru breathed.  
  
"Yeah, I kind of realize that now," he said, the look of horror on his face growing even more as a hand went into his shirt.  
  
"I'm kind of worried about Shippo and Rin seeing this. I don't think it's appropriate."  
  
"I'm more worried about Kouga. Not that I couldn't fight him," InuYasha, not taking his eyes off Kagome. "Kagome," he said, his voice now it's natural pitch, giving her a jab.  
  
"Sesshomaru-sama." Rin was awake.  
  
"Hey, Rin," Sesshomaru said, "Why don't you go outside and play for a while." He gave ehr a nudge towards the door while trying to hide InuYasha and Kagome. "Don't talk to strangers, don't go too far, don't pet any strange animals. . . . .you know what I don't like." Rin nodded and dashed outside.  
  
"INUYASHA!!" Kouga woke up.  
  
Kagome stirred. "Huh?" she said, her eyes opening slowly. She suddenly realized what she was doing, and jumped up, her face turning beet red. InuYasha seemed extremely embarrassed now that she was awake. He, however, growled at Kouga as if he had the perfect right for Kagome's hand to be in his shirt. 


	7. Baths and Brotherly Advice

Author's notes: I can't remember where I saw it, but InuYasha goes on a killing spree sometime. Sesshomaru stops him. That's mentioned in this chapter.  
  
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"So, you're looking for a dead priestess. And you want to know where she might be?"  
  
They were sitting around a fire. Well, Sesshomaru, InuYasha, Miroku and Shippo were. The girls were busy bathing.  
  
"Yeah. She keeps attacking Kagome," InuYasha said, looking into the flames.  
  
"Yeah," said Shippo, "that and she keeps making you act funny in front of Kagome. Why do you think that is?" He was genuinely curious.  
  
InuYasha gave an extremely loud cough and he and Miroku exchanged a glance.  
  
"Well," Sesshomaru broke the uncomfortable silence. "What do you know about her?"  
  
"She's dead and surviving off the souls of dead women."  
  
"And?"  
  
"......."  
  
"She looks like Kagome?" suggested Miroku.  
  
"No she doesn't!" InuYasha exclaimed.  
  
"Kagome's WAY more beautiful," Added in Shippo.  
  
"What else?"  
  
"She's a bitch," Kagome said, sitting down between Shippo and InuYasha.  
  
"No she isn't," InuYasha said.  
  
"From what I heard, she is," Sesshomaru said, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"And just how much have you heard?" InuYasha said skeptically.  
  
"All of it."  
  
"How much is that?"  
  
"From start to finish."  
  
"What's the start and what's the finish?"  
  
"You two met, fell in love. You wanted to become a full human with the Shikon no Tama (I have no idea why), she was seriously injured and pinned you to a tree, yelling, 'DIE INUYASHA!!' She came back from the dead, tried to kill you and suck Kagome's soul. After that she had Kagome watch what went on between you two, know that you cared for each other.  
  
"I heard what she said to Kagome: 'If he must love, let him love my deep resentment. In return I will love his heart while it falls into deep despair.'  
  
"Then she took advantage of your somewhat human emotions and knocked you out WHILE you were kissing her. She almost killed you and sucked you into hell. She keeps coming up with different ideas to take your soul and kill Kagome, even though she KNOWS the truth. Sounds pretty bitchy to me," Sesshomaru finished, his both his eyebrows raised. Kagome was giggling uncontrollably. He had made the tragic tale sound extremely humorous, using crazy voices and facial expressions.  
  
At that moment, Rin came running over, and he was grateful she didn't hear the language. She shouldn't pick it up, in wasn't very lady-like.  
  
Sango and Marine weren't far behind her, and as they sat down, Sesshomaru stood. "I would like a bath. I will think about it. In the meantime, why don't YOU think about what'll happen to the Shikon no Tama once your done, Lady Kagome. Come, InuYasha. You smell foul."  
  
"I don't like water."  
  
"Too bad, I refuse to travel with somebody who hasn't bathed in years."  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Yes. Besides I need to talk to you."  
  
"NO!!"  
  
"InuYasha," Kagome said sternly, "Go take to bath."  
  
"No."  
  
"SIT! SIT SIT SIT!" He slammed into the ground. "Now go take a bath."  
  
"Grrrr."  
  
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"InuYasha," Sesshomaru said, dipping his hair back into the water. "I know you want to become full youkai, but you should REALLY think of the consequences."  
  
"Feh. You just don't want competition."  
  
"Listen to me. You will change in more ways than one if you do. You'll loose any emotions you may have now."  
  
"Oh yeah, like what?"  
  
"Like feelings for Kagome."  
  
"Kagome is nothing more than a shard detector to me."  
  
"You'll kill her."  
  
"How will my using to the jewel kill her?"  
  
"You will become much like me. If I were a hanyou, I wouldn't get the urge to kill every human I lay eyes on. You already have an extremely violent nature and becoming full youkai will only make you more so. You'll kill all your friends the moment you see them. Believe me, I know."  
  
InuYasha crossed his arms and sank lower into the hot water. He didn't want to admit it, but his brother was right.  
  
"I know, because of what happened that one time. You went on a giant killing spree. You nearly killed all of them, you were lucky you didn't. Besides, that was creepy," Sesshomaru gave a small shiver.  
  
"I don't even remember what happened."  
  
"I don't know how it began, but your eyes got all red and you went crazy. It took forever to get the blood off your hands. Myoga will know what caused it."  
  
InuYasha sat silently for a moment in thought. "Will I be powerful if I become full youkai?"  
  
"More than any other. More than is right for anybody to have. You'll most likely destroy the whole world. Either that or you'll have a bunch of slaves. Nobody should be that powerful."  
  
"Are you saying," InuYasha said incredulously, "That I'm powerful already."  
  
"Yes. As powerful as many youkai. I think one of the only differences between you and most youkai is that you have real emotions. You can cry."  
  
"You mean, you can't cry?" InuYasha said, amazed.  
  
"Nope." Sesshomaru said, going back to cleaning his hair. He saw InuYasha fidgeting out of the corner of his eye. He didn't really believe the hanyou hated water that much. He just didn't like cold water.  
  
InuYasha sat in thought. Sesshomaru couldn't possibly think that HE was powerful. "You don't think I'm powerful. You're making it up," InuYasha said.  
  
Sesshomaru was already out of the water and pulling on his pants when InuYasha said this. "InuYasha," he said, turning around. "Do you know how many battles I have lost in my life-span."  
  
"Very, very few?" InuYasha offered.  
  
"Very, very, very few. If I can loose against you, I'd say your strong enough." Sesshomaru had is undershirt on, and he put his fur over his shoulder. He hoisted his armor and the rest of his kimono over his shoulder and walked back to join the others.  
  
InuYasha sat there for a moment, somewhat stunned. Sesshomaru actually DID think he was strong. He gave a sort of evil grin and climbed out of the water to get dressed.  
  
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Author's notes: so? Watcha think? I'll post more soon. 


	8. THERE'S MORE OF US?

Author's notes: I need you to come up with about six new GUY Japanese names. I tell you why in this chapter.  
  
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'What is WRONG with me?' Sesshomaru asked himself. 'Why am I being so nice all of a sudden? Unless...unless I'm getting soft?' he groaned.  
  
He reached the camp again. He dumped his armor next to his spot and started arranging his tail the way he wanted to sleep on it.  
  
As InuYasha plopped down between Kouga and Kagome, he remembered something he had to tell InuYasha.  
  
"InuYasha. I forgot to tell you this, but we aren't the only ones," Sesshomaru said casually.  
  
"The only whats?" InuYasha snapped.  
  
"Father had about five others. By the way, they're all dead. For about the past...six years," he said, shifting his tail again, under him.  
  
"You don't mean five other kids, do you?" InuYasha asked, suspiciously.  
  
"No, five other turnips," Sesshomaru said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You really aren't the youngest."  
  
"But I thought he died before InuYasha's mother," Kagome said, confused.  
  
"He did," Sesshomaru said.  
  
"But I thought youkai could only have ONE mate." They were all extremely confused.  
  
"That's true, but they can have as many wives/husbands as they like. Mating includes marking somebody, it doesn't really matter about the...intercourse," Sesshomaru did his best to put it lightly, as Rin was sitting right there.  
  
"I'm confused," InuYasha said, almost whining.  
  
"In our society, a youkai will do their best to keep their blood line strong by having as many children as possible. Anyone can bear a youkai's child, but a youkai can have only one mate. Thus comes the idea of having ten or eleven wives. They choose a favorite wife/husband, however, and they will most likely become the youkai's mate," Sesshomaru explained.  
  
"That's like those men in the middle east that we learned about in world history. They would have tons of wives and kids, but they live with their favorite wife," Kagome said incredulously.  
  
"Exactly," Sesshomaru said. "However, I sensed InuYasha had no knowledge of this."  
  
"Wait a second," InuYasha said, "If I have six siblings, then...then you must have even more than me."  
  
"Unfortunately," Sesshomaru said dryly.  
  
"What, are you sour because you aren't first born?" InuYasha taunted.  
  
"InuYasha, if you think I'm bad, my brothers are about ten, twenty times worse," Sesshomaru said, scowling.  
  
"So you've met them?" Marine asked.  
  
"Well...only my oldest brother--- he was mother's favorite--- Hiroshi," Sesshomaru felt Rin shudder next to him as he said his brother's name.  
  
"So...have you fought him?" InuYasha asked.  
  
"Once. And I lost horribly."  
  
"You must be pretty bad," InuYasha sneered.  
  
"I WAS ELEVEN YEARS OLD!!" Sesshomaru defended himself.  
  
"But, if Hiroshi was worse than you, wouldn't you be dead?" Kagome asked.  
  
"Not really. He was nice enough not to kill a kid. He was convinced I'd never be any more powerful than I was then."  
  
"But you are," InuYasha said. "Was he arrogant or just extremely stupid?"  
  
"Both," Sesshomaru grinned. "He thinks with his muscles. Even then, it's not really saying much."  
  
"Was your mother dumb?" Kagome asked.  
  
"Not like Hiroshi. But then again, father was pretty clever," Sesshomaru answered. "Funny..." he said faintly.  
  
"What?" Kagome asked.  
  
"The world was a lot more peaceful when the powerful youkai were still around," Sesshomaru said. "InuYasha and I are some of the last of a great race."  
  
"How were things more peaceful?" Shippo asked, doubtfully (A/N: Yay!! I know I haven't been giving Shippo, Sango, or Miroku many lines.)  
  
"If you haven't noticed, the most powerful youkai don't kill for the sake of it. We like to live in comfort, maybe go out every once and a while for something we want, then kill if necessary. We didn't care much for the silly problems or fears of humans, we left them alone. Most of the lesser youkai are a flop to kill, not even really worth the title of youkai, which is why they are more commonly referred to simply demons. We killed them simply to live in comfort. But now that Naraku as come and killed a majority of real youkai, demons roam freely, and kill at will," Sesshomaru said, shaking his head.  
  
"How did killing demons help you live in comfort?" Kagome asked.  
  
"Keep them off our lands. I rent a lot of land to humans, and that helps me pay for food and clothes and anything else I want. What people in your time call simple economics. But I can't have them killing off all the humans that are using my land, or else there is nobody to pay me," Sesshomaru said simply.  
  
"Naraku causes a lot more trouble than we even imagined," Miroku said. (A/N: Yay! Another line for a character that doesn't really talk!)  
  
"Are you saying that Naraku caused the entire warring states era?" Kagome asked.  
  
"Almost caused it all," Sesshomaru said.  
  
"Wow. What a thing to tell the folks back home," Kagome muttered.  
  
"Now you can correct your history books," Sesshomaru said.  
  
"Oh, I tried correcting the teacher. He tried to tell us that InuYasha was the lord of all the western lands. And that he was really hideous," Kagome said smiling.  
  
"The answer to the first correction is that *I* am. And I would be ashamed if I had somebody hideous sharing my bloodline," Sesshomaru said. "Not to insult hideous people, but it's the fact that I look at all similar to him."  
  
"Yeah I'll tell him I did research on it. I don't think they would believe me if I said I went back in time," Kagome giggled.  
  
'Man, that girl giggles a lot,' Sesshomaru thought, shaking his head. He fell back onto his fur. Rin crawled over and cuddled next to him. 'What a soft shell I'm turning out to be,' he thought, just as he began to fall asleep.  
  
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Author's notes: Now, REVIEW!!!!!! 


	9. Sibling number one: Chisato, the squeall...

Author's notes: I was listening to my Weezer CD, and I thought that 'Only in Dreams' would be a perfect InuYasha song. It's thoughtful, and romantic, and bitter; that sounds what InuYasha is like. Tell me (if you've heard of the song) if you agree. I'm eager to hear somebody agree with me on something.  
  
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They walked along in silence for a while.  
  
"So...all our siblings are dead?" InuYasha asked.  
  
Sesshomaru sighed. He kind of wished he hadn't mentioned them. "Yes." But then he muttered, "Except for *those* five..."  
  
"ARE THEY DEAD OR NOT?!?!" InuYasha screamed.  
  
"They were all failures."  
  
"That didn't answer my question," InuYasha said, his eyes narrowed.  
  
"No. They aren't, and I'm sorry for not telling the whole truth," Sesshomaru said, defeated.  
  
InuYasha raised his eyebrows. Did *Sesshomaru* just *apologize*? And did he just sound *defeated*? He almost missed the way his brother used to be. Almost. Then, an over-dramatic wind blew, around a sad-looking Sesshomaru and a thoughtful-looking InuYasha, causing pink flower petals (though there were no flowers in a ten mile radius) to circle them, as they looked at each other.  
  
(A/N: I know, I know, but I'm feeling a little sarcastic and bitter. I just heard Weiss Kruez in english for the first time; they sound too goofy for me, and I'm disappointed -_-.)  
  
Just then, being the perfect-moment-spoiler that he is, InuYasha gave a great snort. "Feh. Well, aren't you gonna say something about them?" he asked gruffly.  
  
"They're all goofy. I don't know, they just aren't like us," Sesshomaru is, starting to walk again. "We might meet them."  
  
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Marine was able to have picked up some of the words, and what they said, but she still wasn't good at remembering what everything meant. It was so different from many European languages, and a lot of words had two completely different meanings. Thankfully, there was Rin.  
  
Her father had told her that people learn new languages best when they were young, so she began to teach Rin how to speak English. The little girl learned a lot of what she told her, but things weren't always clear to her.  
  
From the conversation that Sesshomaru-sama and InuYasha-sama were having, she picked up the words 'ane', which meant sister...she thought; 'ani', brother, and 'anata', which meant 'you'...possibly. It was getting all too frustating.  
  
"InuYasha was saying that he wanted to meet their siblings," Kagome said.  
  
Marine stopped dead in her tracks. "You can speak english!?" she exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah, we learn it in school," Kagome said brightly.  
  
Marine groaned at the fact that she had been suffering trying to teach and understand while she could just ask Kagome.  
  
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Sesshomaru sighed. It didn't seem they were getting anywhere. They had been walking for hours.  
  
"SESSHOMARU-SAMA!!" somebody yelled. Out of a nearby bush, a girl with white hair and dark eyes jumped at them.  
  
"Chisato," Sesshomaru said uncomfortably, as the girl hugged him and started to hang on his arm while walking.  
  
"Who's that?" InuYasha asked.  
  
"It appears that Sesshomaru-sama has himself a mistress," Miroku muttered.  
  
"WHAT?! Ugh, no," Sesshomaru exclaimed. "This, InuYasha, is our sister."  
  
"Oh, who's that?! Our brother?! He's *adorable*!" a hyper Chisato squealed with delight at the sight of InuYasha.  
  
Sesshomaru looked highly releived that he wasn't the center of Chisato's attention anymore. She grabbed InuYasha's ears and tugged them far harder than anyone had yet to do. InuYasha gave a yell of pain. She gave a squeal of delight when she saw Shippo and hugged him tightly, and eventually poor Shippo's face turned blue from lack of oxygen. Then she saw Sango, and jumped excitedly up and down at the sight of a professional demon exterminator (even though she was a demon herself). She bombarded Sango with questions, not letting Sango have a chance answer any of them. Then she saw Miroku. Giant hearts filled her eyes. All this time, Sesshomaru and Rin looked at the crowd pityingly.  
  
"OH! Beautiful monk!" she cooed, "I wish to bear your child. If I do, it can't be ugly, no matter how ugly I am!" she said, clinging to Miroku.  
  
Miroku, much to their surprise, tried to pry Chisato off of him. "No, my lady, you don't deserve such torture. You're child shall be maimed, and his mind shall be scarred," he said, coming up with a lame excuse.  
  
"But how is that possible," she asked, "When you are so PERFECT." Once again, she fastened her arms around Miroku.  
  
And Miroku looked at them, his expression pleading them for help.  
  
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MWAHAHAHA!! I am so EVIL! But don't worry, all you Miroku/Sango fans.  
  
FUN FACT: when an authoress has extreme cabin fever, because she is home alone with no comp and no place to go, and nobody else in the house, she does tedious things. I looked up the meaning of some of the names in my Japanese symbols book, and here are some.  
  
Sesshomaru: you divide this into three parts; 'Se' means defy; 'Sho', for this case, means solemn and majestic; 'Maru' means dangerous.  
  
InuYasha: everybody knows this one, but I shall put it up anyway; 'Inu' means dog, 'Yasha' means demon.  
  
Kikyo: 'Ki' means spirit; 'Kyo' has many different meanings: past, reside, refuse/resist, empty/hollow, bad luck/disaster, mirror, and (my personal favorite) lunatic. Oh, how I despise Kikyo. 


	10. Sibling number two: Chiko, the arrogant ...

Chisato trailed behind them, put out at the fact that she could no longer reach her beloved Miroku. Kirara had taken pity on the monk and allowed him to ride on her back with Sango. Miroku was pleased about the fact that not only would he escape from Chisato (Kirara would only allow two at a time), but he could be near Sango all at the same time. Of course, Sango was not too happy about the arrangements and kept a wary eye on Miroku so that he couldn't grope.  
  
Sesshomaru looked down at Rin as she stumbled for about the tenth time. He gave a sigh and picked Rin up, letting her rest against his fur.  
  
"Sesshy?" Chisato said timidly.  
  
"Don't call me that," Sesshomaru snapped.  
  
"Um, Sesshomaru, is that little girl one of your sisters? D-d-d-d-did you f- find a new f-favorite sibling?" she asked on the verge of tears.  
  
"You were never my favorite sibling. And no, Rin is not my sister," Sesshomaru said expressionlessly.  
  
"OH YEAH, YOU JERK?!" she shrieked, causing both InuYasha and Sesshomaru to wince at the pain in their ears. "Then who is your favorite?"  
  
"InuYasha."  
  
"What?" Kagome asked, "After all those times you tried to kill him, he's your favorite?"  
  
Needless to say, everybody was extremely confused. Except Rin, who had nodded to sleep in his arms.  
  
"Yes. He is the one that is least annoying and most powerful. He does the most credit to my family," Sesshomaru answered simply.  
  
"But what about your mother's side?" Shippo asked.  
  
"I don't find their company in the least bit pleasing. All they do is brag about their adventures and argue about who killed who," Sesshomaru said. "InuYasha has things to say that are ALMOST interesting. He ALMOST has some intelligence." They all noted how he exaggerated the word 'almost'.  
  
"We're stopping for the night," InuYasha said sharply. His ears were perked straight forward, and one of them twitched ever so slightly.  
  
Sesshomaru shushed them, and listened carefully, hoping to pick up what InuYasha had. He hadn't been paying much attention to the sounds beyond the group. He hadn't been paying attention to anything, and just now noticed that it was already dark. Not that it mattered, he could see in the dark.  
  
The fields were silent. Then, ever so slightly he heard it.  
  
"How far do you think it is?" he asked InuYasha.  
  
******Kagome looked between InuYasha and Sesshomaru. She saw Sesshomaru's mouth move, but couldn't hear him. InuYasha did the same. It seemed the two of them understood each other, but Chisato didn't. This seemingly voiceless conversation went on for some time.  
  
******Sesshomaru watched InuYasha listen again, his eyes showing that he was calculating.  
  
"I don't know. Maybe two, three leagues," InuYasha replied.  
  
Sesshomaru listened again. No it was farther than that. "I'd say about five. It's too faint to be any closer than that. But it's approaching fast."  
  
"Not that fast. I've seen faster, and so have you. It's only going about...four steps a second," InuYasha said.  
  
InuYasha sniffed. He had smelled something like it before, but he couldn't think of where. It wasn't what he had smelled in that other place, but it was almost like it. He looked at Sesshomaru, a look of confusion on his face.  
  
Then, ever so slightly, he heard Sesshomaru whisper one word: "Chiko."  
  
InuYasha looked confused for a moment. Then he understood. The smell was similar to that of Sesshomaru, because it was Sesshomaru's brother. But it was only a little like Sesshomaru, because Chiko was only half his brother.  
  
InuYasha glanced at Sesshomaru, waiting to see his brother's reaction. Sesshomaru shook Rin gently awake, and set the child on her feet. She was unbalanced for a second, but didn't fall. She stood up and looked at her Sesshomaru-sama.  
  
******Kagome watched as Sesshomaru set Rin on her feet. Both Sesshomaru and InuYasha looked tense about something.  
  
"InuYasha?" she said hesitantly.  
  
"Sesshomaru's brother is headed this way," InuYasha said.  
  
"How do you know?" Kagome asked.  
  
"I think Sesshomaru can tell his own brother's scent," InuYasha said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Actually, it was.  
  
"But then, how can YOU tell?" Kagome asked.  
  
"He told me," InuYasha said, snorting.  
  
"No he didn't. I didn't hear him," Kagome said. She refused to give in to InuYasha's side without a fight.  
  
"Feh. That's because you're human. We have dog hearing," InuYasha told her, and snorted again.  
  
"Oh," Kagome said in a small voice. Well, she had tried. "But shouldn't Chisato have heard it?" she asked.  
  
"I did," Chisato said smugly. She obviously thought she could impress Miroku with her demonic powers, but unluckily for her, Miroku had seen it before. And it was all shown to him by a more powerful hanyou than she was.  
  
All during this time, Sesshomaru remained silent, waiting for the arrival of his 'beloved' brother. Then, up he came, blowing dust behind him.  
  
"My dear baby brother," Chiko sneered at Sesshomaru.  
  
Somehow, Chiko came as a surprise to Kagome. His hair was only just below his shoulders, and tied back, all except for his long bangs that fell in his eyes. He bore little resemblance to Sesshomaru, beyond the stripes on his face and height.  
  
"What do you want?" Sesshomaru asked. His voice no longer showed all the emotions that they had seen in him those past days. They had heard amusement, annoyance, a small amount of happiness, and InuYasha had ALMOST even heard care. But now it was back to the blank expressions and even more blank voice.  
  
"Only to meet those that my brother has picked up," Chiko said, looking past him. "Let's see; I know Chisato. A kitsune---they are such weak, foolish creatures. Humans---I won't even ask about THEM. And---no!"  
  
He walked up to InuYasha and slowly circled him. "It can't be. The famous InuYasha. The little human girl's pet. The boy that great Lord Sesshomaru couldn't defeat..." sarcasm dripped from his mouth like honey when he said Sesshomaru's name. "And the famous sword, Tetsusaiga." He reached out and grabbed the sword's hilt, only to get giant rake marks down his arm as punishment.  
  
"I would watch out if I were you, Chiko," Sesshomaru said idly. "InuYasha has a vicious streak that you don't always see. He goes on killing sprees. Almost killed his own mate once."  
  
"My mate...?" InuYasha drifted off confused for a moment. Then he seemed to realized what Sesshomaru meant, and growled. "I would never mate a weak, pathetic human," he snarled.  
  
"Then why do you keep her around?" Chiko asked. "Maybe I should take her...she's a nice prize, I say," he said, looking over at Kagome.  
  
"That's disgusting," Sesshomaru spat. "Your whole manner disgusts me."  
  
"That's what you've said ever since your mate died," Chiko said, not taking his eyes off of Kagome.  
  
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Author's notes: Sorry, but that seemed like a good chapter end. My friend Shelaum would kill me for ending a chapter like that. My other friend, Sanaa, will kill me for saying anything like that about Sesshomaru. *Cries* I don't feel loved anymore. *Sniff, sniff*, they hate my ideas that go along that line.  
  
Choose one:  
  
Red button---NOOOOO!! That's not good, Sesshomaru just isn't that kind of person!  
  
Yellow button---Hmmm, I don't care what you do, it's your story.  
  
Green button---Yes! That's a good plot twist! 


	11. Bushichirou

Author's notes: Please, please...if you know what Bushichirou means...don't spoil it for everybody else and tell.  
  
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They sat around a campfire. Sesshomaru had walked off someplace to think.  
  
"What was Sesshomaru's mate like?" Kagome asked.  
  
"Ahh," said Myoga. "She was a beauty beyond compare, a true---"  
  
Myoga was interrupted by a snort from Chiko. "Who cares?"  
  
"I do," InuYasha and Kagome said together.  
  
"He starts every story the same way. He probably said the same telling about InuYasha's mother. And he'll start out telling about Kagome by say, 'Ahh, she was a beauty beyond compare."  
  
"Shut up, I want to hear the story," Shippo said.  
  
Myoga cleared his throat, and started again. "She was a beauty beyond compare. A true princess. She was kind and caring."  
  
"Wow. Sesshomaru isn't like that at all..."Kagome trailed off.  
  
"She lived in the east. They met when Lord Sesshomaru was travelling through her father's lands. They both had taken on the forms of humans, she hiding from her mother, him stopping for some food and a bath. They fell in love, but as it turns out, they weren't allowed to marry."  
  
"Why not?" asked Kagome.  
  
"Sesshomaru-sama was by then around fifty years old. It had been arranged by his mother that he would already marry a certain young lady when he reached a certain age," Myoga said, sighing.  
  
"But I thought youkai married many times," Sango said.  
  
"That's true. But the problem was that the arranged marriage was to her mother," Myoga sighed again.  
  
"Her -mother-," InuYasha said incredulously.  
  
"Well, what happened?" Kagome was extremely interested by then.  
  
"They ran off together and got married anyway," Myoga told them, shrugging.  
  
"That's sooo romantic," Kagome sighed, swooning.  
  
InuYasha gave a snort. "So what happened to her? Why'd she die?"  
  
"I'm getting there. They were married but a year when she bore his child. And..."  
  
"I'm an -uncle-?" InuYasha asked, stunned.  
  
"She died giving birth. The child is all he has left to remind him of her. And still, it hurts for him to see his son, so he avoids seeing him," Chiko said, blowing on a hot potato he had been cooking on a stick over the flames. "It's pathetic."  
  
"What's his name?" InuYasha asked. He was much more interested in Sesshomaru's son than wife.  
  
"Bushichirou." Chisato, Chiko, and Myoga answered in unison.  
  
"Bushichirou? I've never heard that manner of a name," said Sango.  
  
"It was going to be Sakusaburou, but even Sesshomaru had trouble swallowing that," Chiko said, shrugging. "Anyway, I suppose I understand why he doesn't like the idea of marrying more than one person at a time, but I think he's being a little over sensitive. He refuses to marry period, and Bushichirou needs a mother."  
  
@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@  
  
They traveled for some time the next day. Around noon Chisato and Chiko headed off in a different direction. It was decided that Rin should be taken to Sesshomaru's castle. They would stay there for a while before sending Kagome back to her own home for school.  
  
Kagome didn't even realize it when they entered Sesshomaru's domain. It just seemed like endless land. There was a village dotted here and there, but other than that there was not sign.  
  
"Well, where exactly is this castle?" InuYasha asked, rather rudely.  
  
"About a league from here," Sesshomaru answered, looking at his surroundings.  
  
"A whole league?" Sango said, incredulously.  
  
"Yes."  
  
There was not mistaking the place for anything else. A little ways away there was a small village, which seemed to be there for servants to live in. It was made up of various buildings, all with nice tile roofs and canvas sliding doors. There were corridors going all around the outside every building and connected them, but they were open with gates and roofs covering them, to keep the person walking along them dry. The railings of each of the fences on the corridors had dragons and demons twisting along and up them. Each door had gorgeous paintings all over them, and there were gardens and courtyards unlike anything Kagome had ever seen. She thought that if it just looked like this on the outside, she almost hated to see the splendor of the inside and what Sesshomaru lived with.  
  
From a building came yelling. A man (or was he a demon) stood just in the door screaming to something unknown.  
  
"YOU INSUFFERABLE CHILD!" He yelled. "I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU SAY! I FART ON YOUR MOTHER'S GRAVE EVERY NIGHT! I SPIT IN YOUR GENERAL DIRECTION! I---" He was cut off abruptly at the site of Sesshomaru.  
  
"What were you saying, Master Koji?" Sesshomaru asked.  
  
Just then, a door behind them slammed. They spun around, but all they could see was a retreating shadow in one of the doors.  
  
"I am sorry my lord, but I cannot help venting my frustrations in such a way..." Master Koji said.  
  
"Oh really?" Sesshomaru said, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Lord Sesshomaru you must understand. Bushichirou does not show any talent with a sword, he can't ride a horse, and he has yet to show any demonic powers beyond the fact that he has claws and a sensitive nose," Master Koji said, sounding apologetic.  
  
Sesshomaru closed his eyes and put a hand on his face, "I was afraid you were going to tell me that."  
  
He turned around and walked in the direction of one of the buildings. A lady that looked like she was getting slightly on in the years come out of the door he was heading at.  
  
"Sesshomaru," she said, smiling slightly, "I'm glad you returned. Tell me, what was Koji yelling at now?"  
  
"He's frustrated at Bushichirou's lack of skill with a sword," Sesshomaru sighed. "Madam Yu, will you get some rooms ready for our guests."  
  
"Yes." She went back into the room she had just entered from, and returned momentarily. "Will you please follow Kira here."  
  
What looked like a child (or an extremely short person) came out and led Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and InuYasha away.  
  
@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@  
  
Author's notes: I'm sorry it took so long to post this. I was very particular about this chapter, and I will probably be more so about the next one.  
  
I was mad for a while that InuYasha was cancelled, but now I'm happy again because it's back on March 10th. I was also having fun watch InuYasha, Weiss Kruez, and Vampire Princess Miyu in Japanese...their voices are soooo different, but not disappointingly different. The guys in Weiss have better voices. On the other hand, InuYasha sounds hilarious. 


	12. ATTACK!

For breakfast they ate out on a veranda by a courtyard. Sesshomaru soon joined them.  
  
"I trust you slept well," he said.  
  
"Oh, yes. It was great," Sango said. She was extremely cheery this morning. Of course, Kagome could beg to differ.  
  
Somebody plopped down between Sesshomaru and Kagome. Her jaw dropped.  
  
"Well look who finally decided to grace us with his presence," Sesshomaru said icily.  
  
"Well good morning to you too," the stranger said even more coldly.  
  
He couldn't be anybody else besides Bushichirou. He looked like a strange cross between InuYasha and Sesshomaru. He was hardly fourteen with hair that went beyond his butt. He was definitely less feminine than Sesshomaru, but also less refined. His clothes weren't much different from InuYasha's, beyond that they were a dark blue, he wore shoes, and of course didn't have prayer beads around his neck. He did have the stripes on his face, the same as his father.  
  
They were hardly halfway through breakfast when there was screaming coming from nearby. Over the courtyard walls came flames and smoke. A demon leapt over the roofs, and landed in the middle of the courtyard. He appeared to be some sort of tiger demon with claws and a tail, and stripes flowed over his arms and neck. He pointed his katana at Sesshomaru. Strangely, Sesshomaru and Bushichirou acted as if nothing had happened, while the rest of them had jumped up.  
  
"This is it, Sesshomaru. The final standoff. Mono a mono. Demon to demon. Just you and me," he said viciously.  
  
"Good morning, Tetsu," Sesshomaru said, not turning round.  
  
"You're not fighting me? Because you've given up," Tetsu said, although he seemed unsure of his words.  
  
"Because you're a waste of time," Bushichirou said, making it obvious what he thought of the tiger demon.  
  
InuYasha plopped down, and was soon followed by the rest of them. Tetsu's arm went limp and the tiger youkai trudged over to the table dragging the sword on the ground, and sat down.  
  
"I'm a failure, aren't I?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah," Bushichirou said simply and rudely.  
  
Sesshomaru gave his son a scolding look and turned to the tiger demon. "Just because you've tried to take over my estate unsuccessfully for the past forty years, doesn't mean you're a failure. Tea?"  
  
"But I've failed at every attempt," he said, accepting the tea and looking downtrodden.  
  
"Well, there are other places to take over," Kagome said. "I think you've taken on a hard opponent."  
  
"But where else is there to take over?" Tetsu asked.  
  
"Go take over Edo," Bushichirou said.  
  
"NO!" Kagome said, "I need that place to get home."  
  
"I'd leave the place for your home," Tetsu said.  
  
"But I need the well. It might get ruined. I get home through there," Kagome said.  
  
"Yes, ruin it!" InuYasha said brightly. "That way Kagome won't go take those stupid tests."  
  
"She needs tests!" Sesshomaru scolded. "People need to be educated."  
  
"I'll leave the well for you. I'd build you a temple if you like, Lady Kagome is it?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm Kagome."  
  
"You're that beautiful priestess that people talk about. The stories do you no justice, I see," Tetsu said, kissing Kagome's hand, causing her to grin and blush.  
  
"HEY!" InuYasha exclaimed.  
  
"Jealous InuYasha?" Miroku asked.  
  
"Why would I be jealous, she's not even pretty," InuYasha said, his eyes bugging out.  
  
"You should be," said Shippo. "If you hate Kagome so much, then why not get rid of her and be done with it?"  
  
"Yeah, why not?" Kagome asked, annoyed.  
  
"I need you to find those jewel shards for me. Besides, you're the one with these stupid beads around my neck."  
  
"I'd cut them off," Kagome said, crossing her arms, and closing her eyes, an airy look on her face.  
  
"That doesn't do anything about the jewel!" InuYasha yelled.  
  
"What a lunk-head," Bushichirou muttered. "I can't believe I'm related to him."  
  
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A LUNKHEAD, RUNT?!" InuYasha screamed.  
  
"Your obnoxious voice is hurting my ears," Bushichirou snapped.  
  
"Oh yeah?" InuYasha sneered.  
  
Bushichirou stuck out his tongue. This made InuYasha even more angry, but as he couldn't come up with anything to say, followed suit. They all had sweat-dropped. Sesshomaru put his face in a hand and heaved a sigh.  
  
"Just you wait. Father's gonna fry your ears in butter," Bushichirou said.  
  
"What?" InuYasha asked.  
  
Everybody could see Sesshomaru behind InuYasha's back, waving his hands frantically and shaking his head. He drew a line across his throat, telling Bushichirou to stop, but it was taken the wrong way.  
  
"And cut off your head?"  
  
Sesshomaru slapped his hand to his head, and sucked in his breath, showing a set of beautiful, sharp white fangs.  
  
"He's gonna take out your teeth and make them into a necklace! And make a wonderful meal out of you! And feed it to his friends! And tell them it's a delicacy! He told me so..." Bushichirou said, as if he knew everything about how Sesshomaru's mind worked.  
  
"That's enough of your little made up stories," Sesshomaru snapped.  
  
As soon as the other's walked off, Sesshomaru was after him. Bushichirou gave out a strangled yell and ran down the hallway. Unfortunately, they were both abnormally fast. Doors swung open from the wind they created, and geishas' clutched their hair to keep it from falling down. Bushichirou continued yelling.  
  
A little ways down the corridor, a door opened and Madam Yu stepped out. She heard the two of them, and stepped out into the hall. Bushichirou hid behind her, as she looked at Sesshomaru like a cat eyeing her prey.  
  
"Why are the two of you acting in this -ungodly- manner?" she snapped.  
  
"He wants to kill me," Bushichirou said indignantly.  
  
"He told my brother a lie."  
  
"I told him what you told me...that you were going to cut off his head and fry his ears and feed him to your friends, and make his teeth into a necklace!"  
  
"Sesshomaru, did you say that?" Madam Yu asked.  
  
"No....well, a little of it....I did say I was going to cut off his ears and fry them in butter....and that I would feed those ears to certain youkai," Sesshomaru said, somewhat sheepishly.  
  
"Well, I hope you learned that talking behind people's back will only lead to them finding out," Madam Yu said.  
  
Sesshomaru opened his mouth indignantly. However, Madam Yu held up a finger, and said, "However, it was wrong for Bushichirou to exaggerate things in that manner. He shall write up my manuscripts. They are in horrible condition and need to be replaced."  
  
She seemed satisfied. Bushichirou looked indignant and disbelieving at the fact that he had to write hundreds of manuscripts. Sesshomaru let out a silent fit of laughter behind the tutor's back. Bushichirou stuck his tongue out at his father, but this only got him a hard look from Madam Yu.  
  
Sesshomaru was satisfied for now.  
  
@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@  
  
I hope you like this chapter. I realize that my last few haven't been the best I've written. 


	13. I would scream if I were Rin and had wok...

*****Somewhere that InuYasha and Sesshomaru aren't*****  
  
A strange green thing sat on the ground. He seemed to be muttering to himself.  
  
"Will he ever forgive me? Why was he so upset about me trying to get rid of one more human....he had other plans for her, I'm sure he did. I will have to go beg for his forgiveness of my insolence!"  
  
With that, the green thing stood up and started the long trek west.  
  
*****Where Sesshomaru and InuYasha are*****  
  
Days seemed almost unreal in the castle. It was serene; not at all what any of them were used to. People (most likely youkai, Kagome didn't think Sesshomaru would want humans in his home) seemed to float around in a strange fashion. It seemed as if they realized his hospitality toward them and gave them respectful, if not warm, regards.  
  
Two days passed before anything significant happened again.  
  
Almost everybody was up at the time. Sesshomaru, Miroku, InuYasha, Kagome, Marine, Shippo and Myoga all sat at the table (actually, Myoga sat -on- the table; he couldn't reach otherwise).  
  
Suddenly, a blood-curteling scream was heard, and all over demons (including InuYasha and Sesshomaru) covered their ears from the offending sound. They got up and ran to Sango's room.  
  
She sat straight up and her face was ghostly pale. Slowly she shook her head, and everybody looked intent. But then, the scream continued. It seemed the screamer had stopped momentarily for a breath of air. But this time it was joined by somebody screaming "MY LORD, SAAAAAVE MEEEEE!" that sounded strangely familiar.  
  
Sesshomaru was the first to figure it out. Then it was Kagome and Shippo, and then Sango and Miroku. InuYasha followed, hoping that whoever was screaming would let him use Tetsusaiga on their attacker.  
  
Just as Sesshomaru banged Rin's door open, a green toad-pigeon-booger cross narrowly missed his fluff and banged into the wall next to him. Bushichirou had his foot frozen in the air, and Rin was clutching his pants. Tears were streaming down her face.  
  
"Jaken," Sesshomaru said, looking down at the toad (it had fallen to the floor). "I thought I retired you from my service."  
  
The reason for Rin's screaming became obvious. Kagome personally felt she would have screamed too if she had woken up to Jaken's face. However, she kept this thought to herself.  
  
"Me Lord!" he squealed. "I am sorry! Please forgive me for my ignorance!"  
  
Sesshomaru gave a small chuckle. At this, Jaken looked terrified.  
  
"Rin could've gotten seriously hurt! I got here only seconds before you did." Bushichirou said, trying his best to get Jaken kicked out.  
  
"I could beg to differ with your first comment," muttered Sesshomaru. "She seemed to be doing fine by herself."  
  
"She hit me with that stick over there! Numerous times!" Jaken squealed, pointing to the side. Indeed, there was a thick wooden staff abandoned on the floor.  
  
"Not saying that I blame her," muttered InuYasha. He was greatly annoyed at getting his morning Ramen interrupted.  
  
"Jaken, you are no longer welcome here, and you know it. Now leave," Sesshomaru said.  
  
A dejected Jaken trudged out of the door. Once he was alone, he burst into tears.  
  
@%@%@%@%@%@%@  
  
Author's notes: I know that this chapter was extremely short. And for those hoping for more, I am sorry.  
  
There have been several calls for working on Kagome and InuYasha's relationship. Although I will work on that a little bit, I want to concentrate this story mainly on the relation between InuYasha, Sesshomaru, and the rest of their family. 


	14. Of Mouth Wash, Cough Syrup, and Liquid B...

Review Response:  
  
Fire Kitty: Since you asked, I will tell you. There are two meanings of Bushichirou. The one I wasn't eager to have people know is that it's a way of serving sushi.  
  
I think that's all right now, so here goes.  
  
@%@%@%@%@%@%@  
  
Two more days passed before they decided that they had stayed long enough. Kagome had to get back to school. Bushichirou insisted on coming along, much to Sesshomaru's disapproval. Somehow, Kagome had a feeling Sesshomaru was being a bit over-protective.  
  
So it was the night before they were due to leave. Bushichirou was sitting on the veranda looking out over the large courtyard. The others had left wandered off a while before. He lay back and looked to the side. He noticed something in the corner and crawled over to it.  
  
It was the bag that Kagome had been carrying around with her. He sneaked a look in either direction and grabbed the bag. He opened a door into a small room, entered, and shut the door again. He lit one of the lanterns hanging on the other side of the room and sat down with his legs crossed. Then he opened the bag and looked inside.  
  
He pulled out a small white box with some strange red symbol on the front. It was two thick lines crossing each other, one vertical and one horizontal. He opened it and pulled out numerous bottles. One was dark brown. On it was written 'Hydrogen Peroxide'. He opened it and look a whiff. It smelled fine, so he sipped it. There was nothing special about it; it was probably a fancy name for water.  
  
There were two other bottles. Both were clear, but one had green liquid and one deep red. Two things came to mind: the poison that came out of his father's nails, and that stuff that Kagome let him try called candy. So he picked up the green stuff and sniffed it. It didn't smell like poison; in fact it smelled rather refreshing, like ginseng. And since he highly doubted she would put poison in with water, he took a swig.  
  
It wasn't poison, but it most certainly wasn't pleasant. It burned, and when he opened his mouth with surprise and digust, it dribbled over his lap, staining his pants and haori with a greenish tinge. He dropped the bottle and it spilled over the floor. Unfortunately, he had collapsed with swirly eyes (the way InuYasha does when he smells something foul; like this @_@!), and the green stuff soaked into his silver hair. He looked at the bottle, and it said "Listerine Mouth Wash". 'Well, I won't be trying that stuff again anytime soon.' However, it surprised him that people would actually wash their mouth with that stuff.  
  
For a moment he considered abandoning the exploration project in case he got caught. But then he decided not to, since he would be questioned the moment he got caught with green stuff in his hair. But he would leave the bottles alone. Just for a little while.  
  
He went into the bag again and pulled some manner of clothing out. It was like pants without the legs. For a moment he wondered over them, but then realized what they were used for. He shoved the clothing back in the bag, horrified. He decided he better proceed with caution in case he may come across some other offensive undergarments.  
  
He picked up a tube of wet stuff. "Liquid blush?" he said quietly. "People can hold that in tubes?" He slowly poked the tube. However, he nails were sharp, and the tube exploded. Blood red liquid squirted onto his face and torso. He sat there for a moment, stunned. Then he turned back to the last bottle of liquid. This time when he tasted it, he only took a sip.  
  
It was sweet and syrupy. The flavor was strange, but it most definately tasted like the candy that Kagome let him have. He glugged the rest down and gave a sigh, letting tonge hang out of his mouth (^_^!). He looked at the name of it. "Robutussin"; he'd have to ask Kagome to get more of it from her time.  
  
He stood up again and peered out the door. The other's were out there, but all of their backs were towards him. He might be able to sneak out unnoticed. Slowly, he tiptoed out. However, his hopes of escape were dashed.  
  
Oh, how Madam Yu screamed. Everybody spun around, and she dashed over to him to find out what injuries he had. His father stood nervously over Madam Yu's shoulder (wow, never thought you'd hear that one, did you?). When she realized he had no cuts and all his ligaments, she stood for a moment, puzzled.  
  
"What's that all over you?" she asked.  
  
Bushichirou grinned nervously. "Listerine," he said. "and liquid blush."  
  
"You were in my stuff?!" Kagome shrieked.  
  
Bushichirou bowed low to Kagome. "I beg your forgiveness, Lady Kagome! It was wrong of me! Please will you let me go? My eyelashes are starting to stick together."  
  
Everybody looked at a fuming Kagome. She looked at Sesshomaru. "I don't care how you punish him," she said, taking the others by surprise. Partly because she wasn't sympathetic, and partly because she wasn't dealing with it herself.  
  
Sesshomaru grabbed Bushichirou's arm. He dragged his son across the courtyard where several people stared. As Sesshomaru led his son around the castle, rounds of laughter followed him. When the taiyoukai seemed to think his son had been embarrassed enough he lead him back to his room.  
  
@%@%@%@%@%@%  
  
Notes: Sorry, I kinda ran out of ideas for this chapter. 


	15. There's a fine line between love and hat...

Notes: Oka~y, lets see what I can work up at 10:30 right after the Cowboy Bebop Movie (By the way, it was awesome.)  
  
I've decided that when I reach chapter 20, the chapter itself will be 2000 words.  
  
@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@%  
  
They had been travelling for some time already. Life seemed to almost be dragging by for Bushichirou. If he had known this was what his father's journies were like, he would never have asked to come along. He hadn't even seen any other youkai.  
  
However, his wish was granted as soon as he looked up in the sky. A giant silver dragon flew in the sky, it's snake-like body twisting as if it were fighting something. It fell to the ground as if it had been knocked out of the air.  
  
Bushichirou gave a small cry and ran off in the direction that it had fallen. He heard Kagome gasp and his father sigh. He felt the ground pound as they followed him.  
  
The dragon lay in a heap, blood dripping from it muzzle. It appeared as if it was badly injured, and yet the attacker was nowhere to be seen.  
  
"This is ridiculous," he heard Sesshomaru say.  
  
Slowly Bushichirou walked over to the dragon and lean over it. All of a sudden it leapt up, hitting him in the stomach, causing him to flop onto it. He saw Sesshomaru walk towards it as if to get rid of it. However, the dragon was fast and pulled Bushichirou into the sky. Bushichirou grabbed at the first thing he could to hold him down, and unfortunately, that something happened to be Toukijin. The sword was pulled out of it's place on Sesshomaru's belt, and Bushichirou still had it in his hand as the dragon flew up. He saw both Sesshomaru and InuYasha trying to keep up with the dragon. Bushichirou knew he could let go and jump off, but he couldn't seem to make his fingers let go of the mane. He twisted around and saw his father and uncle (A/N: wow, never thought I would hear InuYasha called THAT!) fading away.  
  
He turned forward again and saw a castle coming into site. The dragon flew down and dropped Bushichirou and Toukijin in the middle of the courtyard. On the porch, sat a figure in a baboon pelt.  
  
"Great. I was hoping to get away from a castle and annoying people for a little while. Now I'm here and with the only hanyou crazy enough to dress in a furry outfit," he grumbled.  
  
"Silence!" Naraku hissed.  
  
"Awwww. Big bad Naraku has a soft spot? Now that you know what I'm like, you can send me home again," Bushichirou said.  
  
"This is your home now. You belong to me," Naraku hissed. Then, "Kukukukuku...."  
  
"This is your diabolical plan? 'Let's kidnap as many kids as possible'? Man, and here I thought you were some sort of a genius.  
  
"Your rudeness astounds me!" Naraku said. "Didn't your father ever teach you manners? I wouldn't think so. Because if he really cared about you, he would have taught you better. And he would have come after you, and not follow Jiketsu."  
  
"Yeah yeah yeah. I've heard that one a million times," Bushichirou said, looking around. In all truth, he couldn't wait to go through the maze of halls here.  
  
"And yet you've never learned." Naraku stood up and walked towards Bushichirou. In return, Bushichirou raised Toukijin, ready to fight if he had to.  
  
Naraku stopped. "Yes, that's right. Keep Daddy's sword. You're going to need it later."  
  
Bushichirou was pushed back, and doors opened for him. He was dropped suddenly, as if somebody had been holding him up. He was in a well-lit room with a futon and cabinets.  
  
*****Back with InuYasha and Sesshomaru*****  
  
Sesshomaru sat off to the side of the camp. He appeared to be pouting, but they couldn't be sure. His expressions were hard to read.  
  
Marinewas packing stuff together.  
  
"Hey, where are you going?" Kagome asked.  
  
"I've found my crew. They sent me a message when we were at the palace. I need to be at a certain lake by sunset tomorrow."  
  
"A lake? How would a ship get there?" Sango asked.  
  
A shadow was cast and as they looked up, you could really hear Kagome and Shippo gasp. "That's how," Marine said. Above them floated a giant ship, it's masts sailing in the breeze. They could see tiny people on the deck waving down at them.  
  
"Well then, I suppose this is it," Kagome said. "Bye!"  
  
"I may see you again sometime," Marine said, shrugging.  
  
With that she walked off. In a few minutes, she had disappeared into the dark trees.  
  
"Did you notice a pattern going on with Naraku?" Sesshomaru asked. It puzzled Kagome how abruptly he asked it, without warning.  
  
"He seems to want to have his minions be young. Between the ages of five and fifteen," he said slowly.  
  
"Wait a second!" InuYasha said. "What are you getting at?"  
  
"And he seems to have a need to have other people do his work. Strong people...."  
  
"Do you mean....?" Sango said. "But I thought Bushichirou wasn't strong. That he was incredibly weak for a youkai."  
  
"Naraku doesn't know that does he?" Sesshomaru said. "Logically, the first born sone of a TaiYoukai is going to be extremely powerful. Especailly if the mother is a goddess."  
  
"She was a goddess," Kagome said. For some strange reason, InuYasha noticed stars pop into her eyes, and she sighed somewhat dreamily.  
  
"Well...." Sesshomaru said.  
  
"Well? Was she or wasn't she. You have a way of twisting the truth," InuYasha snapped.  
  
"Everybody thought she was. She was an extremely powerful healer. And she had fealing, unlike many youkai. Even when people knew she wasn't, they still called her one. So Naraku is bound to think she's a goddess," Sesshomaru explained.  
  
Kagome sighed again.  
  
"What are you sighing at? It's getting on my nerves," InuYasha snapped at her.  
  
Sango sighed.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Well," Sango said. "It's just so -romantic-!"  
  
"Huh?" Sesshomaru said, looking dumbfounded.  
  
"I mean," Kagome said. "The warrior falls in love with a kind, beautiful maiden!"  
  
"And she changes his heart forever!" Sango added.  
  
"And then they run away and get married! But she dies, bearing his first son!" Kagome finished.  
  
"It's just so romantic and so -tragic-," Sango sighed.  
  
"What's so romantic about that?" Sesshomaru asked.  
  
"It's just depressing if you ask me," InuYasha grumbled.  
  
"The same thing is going to happen again," Sango said. "Isn't it Kagome, only without the lady dying."  
  
"Huh?" It was Kagome's turn to be confused.  
  
"I mean with you and InuYasha!"  
  
"WHAT?!" The two of them exclaimed in unison.  
  
"Kagome? Lovely and kind?"  
  
"Me? Fall in love with InuYasha? Or him fall in love with me?"  
  
"You know what they say," Miroku put in. "There's a find line between love and hate."  
  
"Yes," Sesshomaru said. "But they also say that all is fair in love and war. And I'll tell you, -nothing- is fair in love -or- war."  
  
"They've both got good points," Shippo said. "But I thought we were talking about Bushichirou?"  
  
"Well, we're not now," InuYasha said.  
  
"Yes we are!" Sesshomaru said.  
  
"Nu-uh!"  
  
"Yeah-huh!"  
  
"Nu-Uh!"  
  
"Yeah-huh!"  
  
"Nu-uh!" .........  
  
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Author's notes: Ah, the joys of sibling rivalry. I'm putting my fanart for this story on my webpage. So far I have one pic. Look under Fanart, and Saiyo. 


	16. Jiketsu and Bushichirou, out to escape w...

Author's notes: If you have any questions from the last chapter, I won't be able to answer them until chapter 18, because this was written on the same day as 16.  
  
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In all reality, Bushichirou had no intention of staying in that room. So he ripped a strip of cloth out of the bedclothes and tied Toukijin to his side. He knew immediately that he hadn't done it properly, because it clanked strangely at his side. He tried again, but it was only a little better. So he let it go.  
  
He began walking through the halls, opening doors and looking inside. Most rooms were empty. However, there were servants around, and every once and a while he would walk into one of their rooms.  
  
At one point he walked into a rather exquisite bathing house and had a bath with scented oils, presumibly from the west. All the while, incense from India burned and somebody played the lute from behind a silk screen.  
  
He also entered the kitchen. He ate food until he thought he would burst. For a moment he wondered if he would get in trouble with Naraku. But then, he remembered how this was his "home" now, so nobody would mind. Also, if he was to become a slave, he might as well enjoy himself while he could. And there was NO way he would obey Naraku while he still had a choice.  
  
So he took advantage of everything he could. He had a proper belt made so that he could hold Toukijin properly. He had new shoes given to him. He got some normal boots given, and then some European boots for the winter: black leather with rabbit fur inside.  
  
When he got back to his rooms, he had another bath made, and this time somebody came in to wash his hair and under his nails.  
  
But it was all to reflect in the end anyway. He heard footsteps coming down the hallway, and he thought it was probably Naraku, or maybe Kohaku or Kagura. But it wasn't.  
  
It was a kid a bit younger than he was, and also shorter. His hair was black and his eyes dark brown, and he wore a white tunic and blue pants. In fact, he looked a lot like what a higher class servant might.  
  
"you've taken a lot of stuff, haven't you?" he said accusingly.  
  
"Yeah, why?"  
  
He paused, unsure of himself. "Because I was sent here to find out?"  
  
"What's your name?" Bushichirou asked.  
  
"Jiketsu," he said.  
  
"-You're- Jiketsu? You turned into a dragon?"  
  
"Yes. Why do you doubt it?" Jiketsu asked.  
  
"Because! You're -tiny-!"  
  
"I am not!"  
  
"Yeah, whatever you say," Bushichirou said, sitting down. "Listen, -Jiketsu- . If I'm going to stay here, I want some good service."  
  
"It won't last long anyway," Jiketsu said. "He'll have you his slave in no time."  
  
"You sound depressed," Bushichirou said.  
  
"I don't like being here anymore than Kagura or you do. But I have to stay."  
  
"Oh yeah........"  
  
"But sometime I'll find my way out. If I could get this jewel out of me I could. But Kagura won't help, or fear that I might leave and not help her."  
  
"Will you?" Bushichirou asked.  
  
"No," Jiketsu said. "I won't leave without you two."  
  
"What about Kohaku?" Bushichirou asked.  
  
"There's no saving him. No matter what, Kohaku can't live and remember his past. All his sister is, is a bird that's been killing his father's crop. A bird that must go," Jiketsu sighed. "I wish I could help him. But at this point the most kind-hearted thing we can do is kill him and give him a proper burial."  
  
"Now, explain -again- how putting a Shikon Jewel shard in you helps Naraku control you?" Bushichirou said.  
  
Jiketsu hesitated. "You know, I don't know."  
  
"What if you tried just leaving?"  
  
"I can't believe -I- believed that," Jiketsu said, blushing. "But I don't want to leave without Kagura."  
  
"Don't worry. We'll help her."  
  
@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@  
  
Author's notes: Okay, this was a VERY short chapter. I forgot to answer a certain question in my last chapter so, here you go.  
  
Zero-Tribal-004: I'm not sure about that yet. This is sort of a stream of conciousness thing; I make it up as I go along. For example, when I started this I had no idea that Sesshomaru was even going to -have- a mate until chapter 10. 


	17. Truths come out, and so does Sankisaiga

Author's notes: I REEEEAAAALLY sorry I haven't updated in so long. I ran out of ideas for a loooooong time. ANYWAY, this chapter is a bit strange, so.....enjoy!  
  
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Bushichirou was taken to a different room, this time with Kagura. He sat down as Jiketsu closed the door and left. The moment he had, Kagura started talking.  
  
"Did he tell you that he was being controlled? I bet he did. Listen, don't trust him. He~"  
  
"WOAH!" Bushichirou said, holding up his hands. "What do you mean, don't trust him? He's being held here, same as you and me."  
  
"No he isn't!" Kagura said. "Naraku is holding -our- hearts, but not Jiketsu's."  
  
"How did he get my heart?" Bushichirou asked. "I never even knew it! How -does- somebody steal a heart?"  
  
"That's too hard to explain now. Jiketsu grew up in a very poor village plagued with famine and war. He's -happy- here."  
  
"So.....we don't tell him how we plan to escape?"  
  
"That's right," Kagura nodded. "Also, Naraku is going to start a final battle. He's gathering up a whole bunch of kids and putting spells on them like he did to Kohaku. And he's going to the Bandar-loka."  
  
"Bandar-loka?" Bushichirou said. "Who are the Bandar-loka?"  
  
"The monkey people," Kagura said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "They came over from India two hundred years ago, when they split up with the larger Bandar-loka kingdom."  
  
"He's going to ask for an alliance with monkey people.....wearing one of them." Bushichirou said slowly. "How's that going to persuade them to trust him?"  
  
"Don't ask me," She said, shrugging. "All the two of us have to do is steal Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga."  
  
"How does he know when we fail on purpose?"  
  
"He does if he sends his wasps out after us," Kagura said.  
  
"And how is he going to get the monkey's to turn against my father?"  
  
"Does your father already hold an alliance with them?"  
  
"Let's just say he's somewhat distantly related to them."  
  
"Well, let's go. We have to get Rin and the two swords," Kagura said.  
  
"Let's get Rin first. Then we'll go after the swords so that there is a chance of her escaping."  
  
"Good idea."  
  
@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@  
  
Toutousai rode his cow through the sky, peering down. Finally, he saw a group of figures, two of which seemed to possess white hair.  
  
He landed in front of the taller of the two and pulled something out of his satchel. Then he held it out saying, "A gift!"  
  
Sesshomaru unwrapped the bundel to reveal a katana in a golden sheath. "You made me a sword?" he asked, somewhat doubtfully.  
  
"No!" Toutousai said indignantly. "I heard your son was having trouble, so I made -him- a sword. That is a masterpeice beyond even Tensaiga! Only he can weild it; it ill cut for nobody else. It cuts with a good cause, and strengthens the weak!"  
  
"You mean that it will help him?" Kagome asked.  
  
"Yup! Sankiseiga......"  
  
"Three Spirit Fang?" Sesshomaru asked.  
  
"Aye!" Toutousai said proudly. "Your father, to swing the blade justly; your mother, to swing it true; -his- mother, to strengthen with weak."  
  
"You mean," Miroku said. "You managed to put their souls into a -sword-?"  
  
"Only a little of them," Toutousai said. "And like I said, it won't work for anybody else."  
  
"He shall have to thank you, then," Sesshomaru said. "For such an exquisite weapon."  
  
"Well," Toutousai said. "Just make sure that everybody know who made it."  
  
"Wait!" InuYasha said. "-Who's- fang?"  
  
"Why his father's, of course!"  
  
"Mine?!"  
  
"Yes. You might want to make sure you know when your teeth get chipped." And with that, Toutousai rode off.  
  
Sesshomaru hand flew to his mouth, checking each of his teeth for the break.  
  
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What do you think? Please review! You started out doing so well. 


	18. Lost Souls

Author's Notes: Okay. Because of my friends' complaints that I am not continuing this story, I will. However, I don't intend to ever write another InuYasha fanfic. I have a problem with a) keeping them in- character, and b) one character overpowering all the others (in this case, Sesshomaru).  
  
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Bushichirou waited for it to grow dark. He crept quietly from the room, and down the hall. He peered into the main hall. Jiketsu sat by the door, but he was asleep. Naraku wasn't even in the room.  
  
Bushichirou moved along the wall. A couple of times the young dragon stirred, but didn't wake. Finally, he reached where he was aiming. A small box was opposite the door, on a table. Carefully, the youkai in question cracked the lid open. It was heavy, and the moment he opened it, a bright light shone out. He closed it quickly and glanced at Jiketsu again. Still asleep.  
  
Bushichirou stood with the box pressed to his chest. He crept toward the door, but only feet from the exit, he heard a cry.  
  
"Lord Naraku! He's got the souls!"  
  
Bushichirou looked back to see the dragon standing up, looking somewhat panicked. But only a moment, because she fled from the room, clutching his precious freedom. He burst through halls. Down the hall Kagura stood, looking somewhat stunned. He grabbed her around the wrist and dragged her down the corridor.  
  
He was out the door, and prepared to leap across the roofs. But Kagura hesitated, and he realized that she was not so agile in such circumstances. He pulled her onto his back. As he jumped, he felt her clutch his chest.  
  
"Kagura!" he said. "Rip the back of my pants!"  
  
"What?" she shrieked.  
  
"Just trust me! But not too much!"  
  
He felt part of the seam rip, and let loose something he'd had trapped for a good three months.  
  
"You're a monkey?" she asked.  
  
"Only by the tail!"  
  
A beautiful silver tail curled out. As he flew along, it whipped from side to side. He landed on a roof, and looked back at her.  
  
"I need it out. That's the only way I balance correctly when I'm jumping. Otherwise, if I aim for a railing or something, I might miss......."  
  
Once again, they were off. But as they landed on the ground outside the castle, Bushichirou felt a sharp pain in his chest and stumbled.  
  
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Author's notes: What do you think is happening? Send a review! 


	19. Constructing a plan, and WHHHHHHHINEM

The group looked up to see a small shape in the sky. Moments later, Kagura sat in front of them on her giant feather.  
  
"Naraku has Bushichirou," she said. "Just to let you know. Bushichirou tried to recover our souls, but Naraku had them stored separately. We only managed to get our hands on mine."  
  
"I knew that Naraku had him," InuYasha said. "we could pretty much guess, since Bushichirou hasn't returned, and all his minions are generally nine years old to fifteen."  
  
"Excuse me," Kagura said. "I'm twenty!"  
  
"Are you?" Kagome asked. "You look my age....."  
  
Kagura scowled. "He should be coming around soon. He'll be travelling by horse."  
  
"Horse?" Sesshomaru asked. "but he can't ride."  
  
"Naraku doesn't know that," Kagura said. "Besides that, I don't know much."  
  
With that, Kagura flew off into the sky.  
  
"What now?" Miroku asked.  
  
"I need to get home, I have an exam in two days," Kagome said.  
  
"I say we go fight Naraku here and now!" InuYasha growled.  
  
Sesshomaru looked at his brother. "Not going to happen. I we need to devise a plan."  
  
"You're always about plans!" InuYasha said. "I don't think we need one."  
  
"I agree with Sesshomaru," Miroku said.  
  
"But the kazanaa in Miroku's hand is widening quickly," Sango said. "We need to get this done soon."  
  
"Maybe we should take a three day break for Kagome's sake. Meanwhile, we can think about how we're going to do this. Then we'll go after Naraku," Shippo said. "That way we fit into everybody's plans."  
  
Everybody except InuYasha nodded. "When'd you get so smart?" InuYasha asked.  
  
"I'm eight years old," Shippo said. "And I've gone through a lot more than most kids my age in the decision-making department. Besides, We have half the jewel shards, and Naraku has the last half."  
  
"I think he has a good point," Sesshomaru said. "He has a good patience, too. Unlike somebody here." At that point, his eyes slid to InuYasha.  
  
"I'm plenty patient," InuYasha yelled.  
  
******Naraku's castle******  
  
Bushichirou was sleeping quite peacefully when he was rudely kicked awake. "What," he grumbled.  
  
Half an hour later, he was leading a whinying horse out of a stable. He climbed on, only to be immediately bucked off. He got on again. He was thrown off again. He went on with this through this with every horse in the stables, all twenty-seven. Finally he reached the last horse.  
  
She was giant cart-horse. Every hair on her body was black, and her eyes were large and beady. She looked extremely miffed.  
  
"She won't let anybody ride on her," the stable-boy said. "But hey, maybe fifty-seven is a lucky number!"  
  
Bushichirou climbed on her bare back. She immediately started bucking, but he grabbed onto her mane. She went galloping out of the stables, and through the open palace gates.  
  
******with InuYasha's group******  
  
Kagome and InuYasha walked a little behind the group. He felt like he wanted to talk with her, but not when anybody was listening. When they stopped in the village, everybody went their separate ways, InuYasha and Sesshomaru every once and a while making sure they could see each other.  
  
Finally, InuYasha turned to Kagome. "Kagome?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
They stood in silence for a moment. Then at the same time, they said. "Can I ask you something? Oh, you first!"  
  
They stood for a moment. Then, just as InuYasha was about to speak, Kagome became distracted.  
  
"There's a jewel shard nearby!"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I just sensed it."  
  
"We should get the others."  
  
"Not enough time, it's leaving quickly!"  
  
InuYasha turned. "Sesshomaru!" In a moment, the dog youkai had come up to them. "We're going to get the jewel shard Kagome just sensed."  
  
Sesshomaru rolled his eyes, but followed his brother's running at a steady pace.  
  
******with Bushichirou******  
  
Bushichirou had gotten off his steed, and was now wandering through a barren land, guiding it along.  
  
"Horses," he was muttering. "Why horses? Why not elephants, or camels, or....donkeys?"  
  
He walked over to a plant an picked it. He smelled it, then took it over to the horse. "Here, take a scallion." The horse turned it's head away, disgusted. "You don't like scallions? Well, that's too bad. You stupid beast, you lead us out here. All we have to eat is cactus and scallions. If you had taken us where I wanted you to, you could eat cats, or.....mice.......or whatever you beasts eat."  
  
"Whhhhinem."  
  
Bushichirou looked around at the horse. "What? Did you just say WOMEN?"  
  
"Whhhhhinem. That's what I am. And I'm a herbavore." Her voice was light and pure, but definitely that of a horse.  
  
Bushichirou stared for a moment, his jaw dropped. "A what?"  
  
"You stupid child. I'm a herbavore, which means I eat only plants. I order you to take me to a patch of grass, this minute."  
  
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A/N: It's so hard trying to write long chapters for me, I need lots of inspiration! Please review, and I adore getting CONSTRUCTIVE critism. I don't adore flaming. 


	20. Sesshomaru's Infamous Mother

Bushichirou had abandoned the horse. It could die for all he cared. In fact, he wished it _would_ die. It would save them all a large amount of agony. He had been walking for a while. About half an hour ago, he had run into the ocean. First not enough water, then too much. Now he stood at the edge of a huge forest. With his luck, he had arrived at Kunming. Except……….hadn't Madam Yu told him that was in China? It didn't matter, he had barely even remembered the story, anyway.

He walked into the forest. The trees were strange, gray like and rock-like. The roots nearly completely covered the ground, and Bushichirou was tripping over them all the time.

He came to a sudden halt at the sound of laughter. Then there was a loud shrieking, as if by monkeys. The sound grew and grew until it completely surrounded him. That was how Bushichirou finally realized that he was in a whole bunch of deep trouble.

#######&&&&&&&######

Sesshomaru was sitting in the forest that had been named after his brother, trying to remember exactly what had gotten him into this mess. Then he remembered that he was cursed. And that was why he was forced to follow the half-demon everywhere. Looking sideways at InuYasha, he realized that yes, he must have been doomed from the day he was born. Forget that he was the lord of the western lands. This sucked.

Meanwhile, Rin and Shippo were running in circles around the clearing in a much too hyper fashion. Not that he didn't love Rin, he did (otherwise she wouldn't be there). But at the moment, he was developing a migraine the size of Mount Fuji.

"Rin," he said, sharply.

She stopped and spun around. "Hai?"

"Could you stop that? I've got a headache."

Rin instantly got a worried look in her eyes. Her Sesshomaru-sama, have a headache? Maybe he was seriously sick! And she hadn't noticed it this entire time! She rushed over to him and sat down in front.

"Are you sick? You aren't going to get worse, are you? You can't get worse! I don't want you to—"

"Rin!" He said. "Please. The only thing that is going to make me worse is lots of noise. Talking produces noise."

"Hai!" she said. Then she realized that she had just directly disobeyed him. She made sure she looked ashamed.

########&&&&&&&&########

A demon monkey dropped out of the trees in front of Bushichirou. She had black hair that curled slightly at the bangs, and golden-brown skin. She wore a pair of black, baggy pants, a white yukata, and a set of robes over that. She wore thick, gold jewelry, and her hair was tied into a braid in the back of her head with a thick band of gold holding that in. Obviously she wasn't purely Japanese, if she was at all.

"Well, well," she said, in a purring voice. "If it isn't a little white monkey! I've never seen _you_ around here."

Bushichirou lifted his head, and his tail curled in annoyance. "Yeah, what's it to you?" He said, voice full of annoyance.

"I know all that pass through here. I rule this forest, after all." Her voice sounded familiarly arrogant. "However, I do believe I know your father. Sesshomaru, is it not?"

Bushichirou was surprised, to say the least. "How?" He asked, sharply.

"I was right about your lineage?" she said, pleased. "I know him, because I am his mother. Didn't you know?"

########&&&&&&###########

Notes: You get to meet Sesshy's mum!! I'm happy I finally got finished with her design (if not her name). And there're more you get to meet, soon, too! I know, I haven't written in ages. Since…………last June?? Holy Crap!! I'm so sorry! I hope I still have some old fans out there, as well as gaining new ones!!

My good friend, Shelaum has been bugging me a lot about this story. That, and about writing a prequel! I want to know what you think about that, and whether I should start before finishing this one. Because I honestly don't know where I'm going! Well………sort of.

**K.C. Whitestar: Yay! My most recent reviewer! Danke! Uhh…..sorry, went German there ! I mean arigato!**

**Tsubaki: She might hit on Miroku again. But I promise, that she will get over him. Don't kill me! Or severely maim me!**

Laku: This is fic is a huge turning point in Inu and Sesshy's lives. Well, at least in my world!

**Small-buttercup: Now! After a year, I'm finally updating!**

**JasperRed99: Yeah. I know. That's how it started out. Unfortunately, if I make the prequel, it won't be nearly as wacko . .**

**Also, thanks to Raku Ozzarian Princess, Anti . Poptarts, Koinu-chan, Shelaum (yay!), and SilverWolf15! I love you!**


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